What is Paul Mescal's Net Worth?
Paul Mescal is an Irish actor who has a net worth of $5 million. Paul Mescal rose to fame with his acclaimed performance in the 2020 television miniseries "Normal People." He went on to earn further recognition for his roles in such films as "The Lost Daughter," "God's Creatures," "Aftersun," "All of Us Strangers," and "Gladiator II," receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for "Aftersun." Mescal has also acted on stage, having won a Laurence Olivier Award for his work in the 2023 West End revival of the play "A Streetcar Named Desire."
Early Life and Education
Paul Mescal was born on February 2, 1996 in Maynooth, Ireland as the eldest of three children of Dearbhla and Paul. As a kid, he went to Maynooth Post Primary School. Mescal also played as a minor and under-21 Gaelic football player. However, he gave up the sport following a jaw injury. Mescal went on to pursue an acting career on stage, playing the titular character in the musical "The Phantom of the Opera" when he was 16. Continuing to follow his passion, he attended the Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College Dublin. Mescal graduated with his bachelor's degree in 2017.
Career Breakthrough
Mescal rose to fame with his first role on television, playing Connell Waldron in the 2020 miniseries "Normal People." Based on the novel by Sally Rooney, the series follows the evolving relationship between Mescal's character and Marianne Sheridan, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones. In a mirroring of Mescal's real life, his character plays Gaelic football and attends Trinity College Dublin. "Normal People" was a huge critical success, earning numerous awards and nominations. For his performance, Mescal won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor and received an Emmy Award nomination. Also in 2020, he starred as firefighter Seán McKeogh in the miniseries "The Deceived."
(Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Film Career
After starring in the 2020 short film "Drifting," Mescal made his feature film debut with a supporting role in the 2021 psychological drama "The Lost Daughter," based on the novel by Elena Ferrante. Written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, in her directorial debut, the film stars Olivia Colman. Mescal went on to have a prolific year in 2022, appearing in three films. The first two were "God's Creatures" and "Aftersun," both of which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. In the former, Mescal plays a man accused of sexual assault, and in the latter he plays a troubled father on vacation with his young daughter in Turkey. "Aftersun" was especially successful, earning Mescal Academy Award and BAFTA Award nominations for Best Actor. His third film of 2022 was the musical drama "Carmen," co-starring Melissa Barrera. Mescal went on to appear in two films in 2023, both literary adaptations. In Andrew Haigh's gay romantic drama "All of Us Strangers," he appeared opposite Andrew Scott, and in Garth Davis's science-fiction thriller "Foe," he starred opposite Saoirse Ronan. For "All of Us Strangers," Mescal received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
In 2024, Mescal starred in his first big-budget film: Ridley Scott's epic historical action film "Gladiator II," a sequel to 2000's "Gladiator." He plays Lucius Verus Aurelius, who seeks revenge against the Roman general who invaded his home. To prepare for the role, Mescal did strength training, horse training, and sword fighting. His co-stars in "Gladiator II" include Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, and Fred Hechinger, as well as Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi reprising their roles from the first "Gladiator" film. Mescal went on to star opposite Josh O'Connor in Oliver Hermanus's 2025 gay historical romance "The History of Sound," based on the short story by Ben Shattuck. He was also cast as William Shakespeare in Chloë Zhao's historical drama "Hamnet," based on the novel by Maggie O'Farrell and co-starring Jessie Buckley. Among his other film credits, Mescal replaced Blake Jenner as the protagonist in Richard Linklater's adaptation of the stage musical "Merrily We Roll Along." Shot over the course of 20 years, the film also stars Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein.
Theater Career
Before hitting it big on television and film, Mescal acted in such theatrical productions as "Angela's Ashes," "The Great Gatsby," "The Red Shoes," "Asking for It," and "The Plough and the Stars." He also starred in "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" at the 2018 Dublin Theatre Festival. In 2020, Mescal starred in Martin McDonagh's "The Lieutenant of Inishmore" at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin.
In late 2022, Mescal made his debut as Stanley Kowalski in a revival of Tennessee Williams's "A Streetcar Named Desire" at the Almeida Theatre in London. Early the next year, the play transferred to the West End. For his work, Mescal won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play. The show was later transferred to off-Broadway in 2025.
Personal Life
Mescal was previously in a relationship with singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, whose music video for the song "Savior Complex" he appeared in. Overall, he is a very private person, and has talked about his resistance to sharing intimate details about his life.
